Weight & Health Management in an Office Environment

 

Many of us are affixed to our desk jobs for far too many hours of the day.  As much as we would like to burn calories, manage our weight and do something besides just sit all day while still being productive for the companies we work for, it’s not easy to accomplish.  “Sitting” has become the new “smoking” and the research about the negative effects of being dormant for most of the day is becoming increasingly easy to find.  Just search “Sitting is the new smoking” via your favorite search engine and you’ll understand the problem.  Books, news articles and video content galore cover the subject matter and it is not a pretty picture.

 

Bryan Wassom, the creator of Active Office Furniture was pretty typical of an individual who needed to do the search mentioned above.  He was gaining weight annually and his blood pressure was increasing.  He was experiencing normal levels of stress during his work day a factor which stands on its own.  His cholesterol levels and his blood sugar levels were climbing as he aged.  His mid-section was showing the “soft underbelly of success” as many like to euphemistically refer to the sections of their bodies where they carry excess weight.  And by the way, he considered himself to be relatively active including training for and running a marathon a few years earlier, owning and actually using (periodically) his own treadmill.  He enjoys riding his mountain bike and taking hikes with his wife but his blood work statistics were still typical of the American lifestyle.  On whole, we are consuming more calories than we are burning, including many who consider themselves to be active or even very active.

 

It was a wake-up call from his son that caused him to develop a new working environment he calls Active Office.  After being poked in the stomach and affectionately called “dough-boy” a few too many times, Bryan starting working on the marriage of a productive desk environment with that of an exercise bike.  It was a classic connection not unlike that of mixing chocolate and peanut butter, or putting wheels on suitcases.  The marriage made things better.  This is especially important when talking about the general corporate and home office work environment and the need to look at our work lives differently.

Since he has developed his Active Office desks three and a half years ago, Bryan has ridden more than 25,000 miles – a distance greater than that of riding completely around the equator.  During that time, he has become a student of the “exercise desk” platform as a work environment and he professes to be as productive at his exercise desk as he is while sitting at a traditional desk.  We interviewed Bryan via telephone and want to share our Q & A session.

 

Q:  Why did you develop your exercise desk?

A:  I was consistently gaining weight and had a very difficult time giving up my carbs and treats.  I saw myself as trim and healthy “enough” and like a lot of Americans, I had convinced myself that I could carry the inevitable weight that was accumulating on my 6 foot, 2 inch body.  With a few not-too-subtle comments from my family members who “lovingly” helped me see myself in a more accurate light, I committed to find ways to be productive while I work in my home office “and” to burn more calories than I consume.

 

Q:  What was your "Aha!" moment when you got the inspiration to create your bike/desk? 

A:  My son kept begging me to go to the gym to lose weight and he kept poking my stomach and calling me names like “dough-boy.”  The vision he implanted in my head was really the impetus for me to do something so I started tinkering with various approaches to a work environment that would allow me to burn calories.  I have the opportunity to work from my home but that can be a double-edged sword.  I tend to get wrapped up in my work early in the day and I put in a lot of hours which makes me resistant to going to the gym on a regular basis.  However, working from home affords me the ability to wear athletic clothing or attire that is more casual than most people wear in most corporate office environments so sweating a bit while I work in my home office is really not an issue for me.

 

Q:  What type of work do you do that requires you to be at computer all day? 

I am in high-tech sales, which requires a lot of e-mail communication with my work associates and with my customers in the Western US.  I am on my computer and the phone a lot during the day.  I create proposals and often present them during audio and video conference calls.  I do travel periodically, but I spend approximately 50% to 70% of my work-week in my home office.  It has become “the” way to cover a lot of ground while keeping travel expenses to a minimum. My work-life is very typical of knowledge workers around the globe.  Millions of people have the opportunity to be “remote workers” as my company calls us and since work is becoming more digital every day and the cost savings for the companies we work for are very tangible, I foresee this trend increasing.

 

Q:  Where do you do your cycling? 

A:  Always in my home office.  I’m riding now….  I personally believe that office workers will want exercise desks in their more traditional office spaces but what I have developed is tailor made for home offices.  However, it will work very well for call centers, engineering departments and other areas of traditional offices or “cubicle farms” that are typically not directly public facing.  I also see corporations that care about the health of their employees providing “exercise pods” (multiple exercise desks grouped in the same area) so that employees who want to ride for an hour or two while they catch up on e-mail or complete a solo project of some sort can burn calories and relieve some stress before going home at the end of the day.  The more forward-thinking employers will understand the impact this will have on the cost of healthcare.  Obviously not all jobs can be done from an exercise desk.  I don’t think we will see dental hygienists riding exercise desks while they give us an exam – it’s probably not a good idea to combine an exercise desk with a person using sharp tools of any kind.

 

Q:  When do you do your cycling?

A:  When I am working from my home office, I am at my exercise desk all day long.  I don’t necessarily ride all day long but I have the option to do that.  The least I typically ride is 10 to 12 miles and the most I have ridden in one day is 102 miles.  That was on a day when I had to complete mandatory training that was delivered via video training modules so it afforded me plenty of time to pedal away.  In addition to riding while at my desk, I can lower the desk height and sit in a regular office chair, and I can raise it and stand while working.  If I’m on my exercise bike and I choose not to ride, I can comfortably place my feet on the footrests for a portion of the day.

 

Q:  How does the exercise desk environment work?

A:  It’s really the combination of a motorized desk that can be raised or lowered with the push of a button with the exercise bike that has been built to my specifications that makes the exercise desk environment so productive, comfortable and beneficial from a health perspective.  I can sit in a traditional office chair while at the desk, I can stand at the desk, and I can ride the exercise bike that I designed to fit perfectly within in the desk environment.

 

Q:  Is it patented?

No – I don’t think this idea would be patentable or would be given much protection if I did choose to patent the concept.  There are many variations on this idea out there already which negates much of the ability to get patents --- but I also think I have created one of the best approaches possible.  In addition, I really want people to bring to market the best thinking on this subject.  I’m sure that what I have developed can be improved on and I hope the idea of exercising while working will gain traction.

 

Q:  What message would you like readers to get from your idea?

A:  Keep moving so that you can keep moving.  Don’t just sit there - Moooove!  Don’t use excuses that get in the way of living a healthier lifestyle.  Monitor your weight frequently and don’t let pounds creep up on you.  Don’t become obsessive about it but find ways to work movement and exercise into your life instead of having to wrap your life around an exercise routine that you likely won’t stay committed to very long.

 

Q:  How might others be empowered or inspired?

A:  This is a different way to think about work and it’s a great step toward a more healthy work-life balance.  I feel better overall and I have lost weight.  My blood pressure is down.  My cholesterol levels have improved.  I sleep better and I am less stressed during the work day.  I built an exercise desk for my wife when she started experiencing elevated blood sugar levels.  She can continue drinking wine and having chocolate and her blood sugar levels have been consistently in the safe zone as long as she rides 10 to 15 miles during the day.  I’m a real believer in the adage of “Happy Wife = Happy Life,” so I benefit when she benefits.

 

Q:  Can you make this machine for others? 

A:  Yes.  We are working on the website now and the first shipment of bikes and desks will be ready for the market in late 2015.  We are finalizing the development of our sales and our leasing programs now and we are developing an “I’m interested” list.  People can reach us by simply sending an e-mail to inquiries@activeoffice.furniture.  Yes – the .furniture e-mail address is correct.  It’s one of the new URL addresses that are now available.

 

Q:  How much did you weigh before and after developing your exercise desk?

A:  I weighed 174 pounds when I graduated from high school in 1974.  I am 6 foot, 2 inches tall and my weight peaked at 194 pounds.  Many people would say that a 6 foot 2 inch man is able to carry 194 pounds but according to the medical charts, my “ideal weight” is about what I weighed when I graduated from high school.  My weight now fluctuates between 175 and 178 pounds.  I actually believe the other medical benefits of lower blood pressure, feeling less stressed during my work day, sleeping better at night, etc. are more important than my weight but I am very pleased to weigh basically what I weighed when I graduated from high school.  That statistic is pretty rare more than 40 years after graduation.

 

Q:  How many calories do you burn daily?

A:  Calories burned on the bike range from 250 to 900 depending on the number of miles I ride on a daily basis.  It takes about 35 miles to burn 700 to 850 calories which is very easy to do over the course of a work day.

 

Q: Are you on a special diet?

A:  Yes --- If I want it, I eat it, and that’s special.  I just stay aware of my riding and eating patterns, match them up with my weight that I monitor regularly, and I make sure that I burn what I need to burn.  To monitor my weight regularly, I have a scale in my home office and I measure and record my weight 3 to 4 times a week.  By being aware of my weight and the calories that I burn, I can eat and drink what I want without guilt.  I believe we will soon have the ability to monitor many more health factors from home devices that will give us more data points than just weight and calories.  We’re experiencing an explosion of access to health oriented data that should lead us to even heathier, and therefore happier lives.  Couple that with smart ways to consistently burn more calories than we consume daily and it’s a very nice combination.

 

Q:  How can people reach you? 

A:  Prior to the opening of the website, the best way to reach us is to send an “I’m Interested” e-mail to inquiries@activeoffice.furniture.  We will add them to our list of possible customers, and we will provide them with product information on the exercise bike – desk combination.